Texas jury rules against videos
Daleiden and Merritt indicted for tampering with government documents
If pro-lifers were not rendered speechless at the videos exposing the desensitized, commercialized and horrifying abortion practices of Planned Parenthood released earlier in 2015, the outcome of the corresponding lawsuit between Planned Parenthood and its “accusers” surely swallowed up any remaining hopes of justice for the unborn.
A Texas grand jury did more than silence the voice for the voiceless. They flipped the ruling and instead indicted the journalists and researchers who spoke up against Planned Parenthood, while all of the charges against the organization were dropped completely.
Abortion — Man and woman behind Planned Parenthood videos indicted by jury. Google Images
Despite bombarding the public with 10 disturbing videos that revealed Planned Parenthood’s business-as-usual attitude toward the harvesting and redistribution of fetal tissue, it was the Center for Medical Progress, the organization that released the videos, that was charged with tampering with government documents, which is a second-degree felony.
On top of being outrageous and disturbing, this ruling sets a precedent for investigative journalism and for justice that is difficult to accept for those who believe in a baby’s right to life.
“As the dust settles and the truth comes out, it’s become totally clear that the only people who engaged in wrongdoing are the criminals behind this fraud, and we’re glad they are being held accountable,” Eric Ferrero, vice president of communications for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in an official statement following the jury’s decision.
David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, the two people who actually posed as fetal tissue “buyers” and captured the videos of Planned Parenthood executives talking about the undercover sale of fetuses, now face criminal charges for up to 20 years in prison.
Partiality and injustice do not seem good enough answers to the question of how Daleiden and Merritt could be charged with buying fetal tissue without Planned Parenthood being charged with selling it.
“The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws,” Daleiden said. “We respect the processes of the Harris County District Attorney, and note that buying fetal tissue requires a seller as well. Planned Parenthood still cannot deny the admissions from their leadership about fetal organ sales captured on video for all the world to see.”
Even more disturbing is the new information that Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson received more than $25,000 toward her campaign from another attorney in her office who works for a late-term abortionist. The attorney, Chip Lewis, represented an abortionist in a previous controversial abortion case.
A number of Republican presidential candidates weighed in with their thoughts on the decision.
“I’m disturbed,” Sen. Marco Rubio said to CNN. “We’ll need to learn more, but I’m disturbed that while Planned Parenthood, who are the ones that were actually selling off these (body) parts, were found having done nothing wrong, the people who tried to expose them are the ones that are now facing criminal charges.”
Another Republican politician, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tweeted, “It’s a sick day in America when our (government) punishes those who expose evil (with) a cellphone — yet accommodates those who perform it with a scalpel.”
As Christians, this ruling should be troubling, but not completely surprising.
Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (NIV).
We do not belong to this world, and we certainly do not interpret what is just based on how the legal system interprets what is just. But does this ruling mean that Christians should be prepared to go to jail for speaking up on controversial issues?
The short answer is yes, but the truer answer is that God sometimes uses the bleakest of situations to provoke the most needed change. Think Martin Luther King Jr. and Paul. Great men and women have temporarily gone to prison for a cause that was bigger than themselves, and it would be wise for us to keep this in mind when we think of Daleiden and Merritt and remember them and the rights of the
unborn in our prayers.
Rozenblum is an opinion writer.